Haruhi's Curiousity
by butterflymaiden02
Summary: Haruhi wasn't a particularly curious person, but as she began to learn more about her fellow hosts, a few questions began to come up. COMPLETED! I got the whole family together for Family Day as celebrated in Alberta, Canada.
1. Background

Haruhi wasn't a particularly curious person, but as she began to get to know more about her fellow hosts, a few questions had begun to come up.

For example, Tamaki was doing it again. Not that such a statement narrowed the possibilities; actually it was like pointing out a flower in the middle of a field full of all the same kind of flowers.

"And all for you, my princess," the king concluded, his lips pressed against the fingers of his customer.

"Tamaki-senpai ," the girl said breathlessly, as she half-heatedly attempted to take her hand from his grasp. Another typical host club encounter; Haruhi sighed and wondered why no one else noticed it.

'It' was right behind Tamaki; the backdrop of red roses with shining dewdrops on their petals. If she tilted her head and took a step to the right, there would be a perfect frame of roses around their senpai presenting the client with a short-stemmed, thornless rose.

Kyoya walked onto the scene then, the roses mysteriously vanishing as he informed them that the young lady's time was up. Tamaki offered to escort her to the door, so Kyoya was the first to note the question on Haruhi's face. "Is something bothering you?"

"I don't know."

Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "You are distracted, which makes you less effective as a host. I had assumed that you would want to clear your debt before I graduate." The threat was clear.

"I was just wondering why no one else notices it," Haruhi answered quickly.

"It?" Two voices interrupted. "What's going on?" The twins dropped their arms around Haruhi's shoulders.

"We're solving a problem."

"My daughter has a problem?"

"Tama-chan, you dropped a rose!"

"That's exactly the problem: Tamaki's roses!"

The hosts quieted and looked at her. Kyoya opened his notebook. "I didn't think that you had any allergies, Haruhi."

"Haruhi's allergic to my roses!? Quickly, we must purge the room! Hikaru, Kaoru!"

"Right!"

"I don't have an allergy!" The twins and Tamaki froze.

"What did you want to know?" There was the barest hint of impatience in Kyoya's voice.

"Well," she felt a little foolish, "where do they come from?"

"I thought you knew that roses generally grow on bushes. If you want the name of our florist, you should just ask, but I warn you that they are very expensive."

"That's not quite…"

"Don't fear, Haruhi! If you desire any flowers from our florist, put it on my expense account and Daddy will pay for them!"

"There! You see?" The hosts looked at her blankly, rose petals falling softly around them. She sighed. "The background."

"Oh, that!" Kaoru answered.

Hikaru shrugged. "He's always had it." Satisfied, the twins left to welcome their next clients.

"Did you want one, Haru-chan?" Honey looked at her quite innocently.

"Only the finest for you! I will arrange everything!"

"I don't want one!" With an instantaneous disappearance of roses; Tamaki curled up into a suddenly dark corner of the room.

"Haruhi, that will be 200,000 yen." Kyoya closed his notebook.

Haruhi's eyes widened as she protested, "I don't need a background!"

"Not for the background; for the waste of valuable hosting time." Kyoya walked away with the two seniors. Haruhi twitched with annoyance.


	2. Sweets and Cakes

It was rare to see Honey-senpai alone, so Haruhi went over to see if he was alright. "I'm fine, Haru-chan!" But just as she turned, he caught her sleeve. "Would you stay and have cake with me until Takashi comes back?"

"I don't really want any cake…"

"We have strawberry! Please, Haruhi?"

"Let me get some more hot water for tea." So Haruhi sat with Honey, to the delight of the observing clientele and Kyoya's camera.

The two hosts chatted together, Honey-senpai consuming an alarming amount of cake for a person who did most of the talking.

"Honey-senpai?" Haruhi asked abruptly. Honey's mouth was occupied, so he looked at her with bright eyes and nodded for her to continue. "Is there any cake you don't like?"

He quickly swallowed. "Nope!"

"Is there any cake you won't eat?"

The small senior paused for a moment. "I don't eat what Chika-kun likes the best," he finally announced.

"What is that?" Having seen Honey's younger brother, Haruhi couldn't imagine what kind of treat the boy would enjoy.

"I don't know; he hasn't told me!"

She sweat-dropped as Honey continued eating. "But, don't you want to know what Chika-san likes?"

Honey looked up and opened his mouth.

"Takashi!" Honey waved at his cousin, and then raced over to meet him, talking a mile a minute.

"Selective hearing?" Haruhi muttered.

"I wonder. This is the third time that I've had to repeat that you have a client."

"Sorry, Kyoya-senpai!" She hurried over to her usual table.

Kyoya made a notation in his black book.


	3. Sketchbook

Haruhi was cleaning up the clubroom when she made the discovery. They had been sitting neatly between the accustomed places of Hikaru and Kaoru, and she would have thrown them all away except for the timely intervention of one of them fluttering to the ground. Sighing, she picked up the flimsy paper and was distracted by what was on it. After a moment of study, Haruhi was about to put it back when she saw the next one in the stack.

* * *

The supplies for the Ouran High School Host Club were top quality, just as everything else was in the school. Sometimes Haruhi felt that they were over the top, but for the things where quality mattered (to her), she couldn't fault what was available: porcelain and china tea sets, top quality teas from around the world, sweets from the best bakers and importers, beautiful glassware, sturdy cleaning supplies, and linen _and paper_ napkins.

It wasn't uncommon for the twins to use linen napkins in their act. How many times had they set girls squealing as Hikaru used his napkins to wipe a tear from the younger's eye? And when Kaoru tried to hide a blush with his, he would be thwarted by the older taking the cloth away and turning his face back to Hikaru. One low-spoken phrase about never wanting the other to hide from him (or something like that), and Kyoya would be sending Haruhi over with the smelling salts.

But paper napkins? It was beyond Haruhi why exactly Kaoru had insisted on having paper napkins as well as the club's usual linen ones. Originally, the paper variety had been allowed as a sample for Tamaki from 'commoner culture', but when they had all been used, Kaoru was the one who fought to keep them.

"Kyoya-senpai, we need to have these." Tamaki had (surprisingly) not been interested in keeping them around, Honey and Mori didn't care, and Hikaru's only concern had been to support Kaoru's persistence.

She personally thought the napkins Kyoya had ordered were of too high a quality to be considered 'commoner' napkins. He should know the difference since having fast food in the mall with her. But Kyoya eventually agreed to Kaoru's request with the understanding that the cost would come out of the twins' budget portion.

* * *

"Kaoru, why don't you just use a sketchbook?"

The younger twin jerked up in surprise. Haruhi looked at him calmly. "Ha-Haruhi…"

She put down the tea set and sat beside him. "Wouldn't a sketchbook be smoother and easier to draw on?"

Kaoru seemed a little embarrassed and hesitant. "Well, I'd like to use a sketchbook, but it would be too distracting for our clients. They'd… well, they would either expect us to use it as a prop or they would want to see what I'm drawing. Probably both…"

"Why not wait until you get home?"

He gave her a look of long-suffering patience. "Haruhi, have you ever had an idea that was really good, but you didn't write it down because you thought you would remember it? Later it becomes so hard to recall the details. At least if I do a basic sketch during class or in club, I have better luck when I get home. You should see the margins in my notebook." He chuckled.

"I guess that makes sense." She poured him a cup of tea and waited until he was done. "It looks nice," she commented when he slid the napkin over in front of her.

"Thanks." He picked up the cooled tea and took a sip.

"What does Hikaru think about your sketches?"

Kaoru looked across the room where his twin was teasing Tamaki. "He prefers seeing the completed final designs."

"Why?"

Kaoru smiled. "I do most of our designing; I'm actually better at it than he is. He prefers actually making the outfits and experimenting with colors, patterns, and textures."

Haruhi was slightly annoyed. "So what happens with the ones on the napkins?"

"The roughs? I presume that you throw them away after club time." Kaoru was intrigued when a slight blush rose on Haruhi's face. "Do you like them?"

"I've been saving them; they are better than any drawing I've ever made. Originally I thought it was both of you who were making them, but you signed one that I found last week. I wasn't sure if you wanted them back."

"You like looking at them." It was not a question. She blushed harder. "Keep them; I'm glad that they make you happy." The twin hesitated. "Haruhi, could you tell me what you think of my designs? Sometimes I don't know if I'm on the right track, and Hikaru rarely contradicts me."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kaoru still looked at her hopefully. She sighed, "Fine, but I warn you that I don't know anything about fashion."

"That's alright."

"And you still don't want to use a sketchbook?" At the shake of Kaoru's head, she sighed again. "I'll let Kyoya know that we need to order more napkins."

Kaoru reached over to grab her hand. "Thank you, Haruhi."

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" They winced as Tamaki's voice boomed right behind them. Haruhi looked up in time to see the blonde whirl to face Hikaru who was following him. "You two are in league together to distract me and steal my most beloved daughter away!"

Kaoru leaned back into the sofa with a sigh as Hikaru came up behind him and wrapped his arms around the twin's shoulders. The older twin didn't say anything, but gave their clasped hands a suspicious look. "Milord, nothing is going on."

"Kaoru and I were just talking, senpai."

"This is dreadful! I won't stand for it! KYOYA!"

"Honestly, senpai!" Haruhi got up to quell the latest absurdity, but was surprised by Kaoru giving her hand a quick squeeze before releasing it.

* * *

The next club opening was two days later. When he went to give their table one last check before opening, Kaoru smiled. At his place was a neat stack of napkins and a fresh pen.

***** ***** *****

"Haruhi!"

The aforementioned person looked over her shoulder and groaned.

"What do you think of these?" A pile of napkins were carefully pushed into her arms and onto her lap.

She sighed. "You can wait until the end of the week, right?" But she smiled a little into the amber eyes. "Hey, Kaoru? Who do you imagine modeling these when you draw them?"

"W-well," the twin stuttered slightly, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

"Kaoru! Mom needs us back at home right after club, remember?"

"N-next week, Haruhi!"

***** ***** *****

Grey eyes noted how the boy seemed to stumble over his own feet to reach Hikaru by the door. The older twin just shook his head as he passed the younger his book bag, but gave a slightly possessive/jealous glance back as his brother preceded him out the door. A look at Haruhi confirmed that she was as oblivious as ever, taking a quick glance through the napkins before putting them carefully in her own book bag. He shook his head and picked up the note she had left him the other day. _So now the smaller half of this club supports having paper napkins._

*

_**  
_

**_**Author's Note**_**

Apparently my update schedule is every two weeks. Oh well, that's actually a cause of relief on my part. I have expressed difficulty in writing Hikaru, and that is continuing to haunt me. However, because I especially need to write him separately this time (no such difficulty for "Lights Turn On"), it's been no end of trouble for the past month and a half. So fortunately my update schedule gives me a reprieve of two weeks before I really have to pull my hair out. Any suggestions on writing Hikaru would be appreciated!

I think I love writing Kaoru almost as much as writing Kyoya. Hope you enjoyed it too! Incidentally, at the end of this I was vague on purpose. Also, the one-sided KaoruxHaruhi snuck up behind me and leapt onto my rough draft when I wasn't looking, I swear!


	4. Assistance

It irked Haruhi that despite her "promotion", she still remained the host club's dog in many ways. With all the stuff she was doing, she couldn't imagine how they had managed in the first year of club operations. However, there was nothing to be done about it; so she kept most of her comments to herself.

One of the duties was nearly constant on-call for the twins. She had something to do for all of the hosts, mostly just delivering clean cups and refreshing the tea pots, but the brotherly love act was a high maintenance demand.

"Haruhi."

She sighed. "Yes, Kyoya-senpai."

Fortunately, Haruhi loved efficiency and had made herself a basket of necessities for the Hitachiin customers. It made a great grab-and-go, and she stocked it immediately upon her arrival at the club every day that they were open to the public. The basket had been supplied by Tamaki, and was the perfect size and sturdiness that she needed. It was one of his most thoughtful and (only) useful gifts, oddly enough.

Sighing, she surveyed the fall-out from the latest of the twins' acts. Reaching for a cloth and dipping it in cool water, she looked up at the instigators who were calmly sipping tea. Hikaru smiled smugly. "So, do you want to know what we did?"

"Nope." She turned to the overheated girl, and gently placed the cloth on her forehead.

"Ha-ru-hi!" She cringed at the voice that sang her name from halfway across the room.

Kaoru smiled. "It looks like milord just wants a fresh tea service. I'll deliver it for you, Haruhi."

"Thanks, Kaoru." She grabbed a bottle of smelling salts for the other victim… client of the duo.

Hikaru observed her quietly. "You seem out of sorts, Haruhi. Why?"

"Because." The natural host loosened the top button of the girl's collar so that she could breathe easier, and started waving the open bottle under her nose.

"That's not a good reason."

"Well, I don't have a better one at the moment." At this point, they were interrupted by a groan as the second girl came to, and a quick glance at the first girl showed her eyelids fluttering. "How are you feeling, ladies?"

"Haruhi-chan." The first girl blinked. "Did I pass out again?"

"Yes, Hiroko-san, but you both should be alright if you just rest for a few more minutes. Let me escort you over to the couch by the window; the fresh air from outside will help clear your head."

"Yes, it will. Kaoru, thank you for having tea with us today."

"My pleasure." Hikaru smiled.

Haruhi rolled her eyes and helped the second girl to her feet. "I'll be right back," the cross-dresser told Hiroko.

As they walked away, Haruhi heard her say, "Please let Hikaru know that we enjoyed his company as well."

"But of course." Hikaru's smile had broadened; Haruhi could hear it in his voice.

***** ***** *****

"But you really act very tense when you come over." Hikaru had not dropped the subject, bugging Haruhi about it every time he got the chance.

Haruhi just finished reviving another girl, and her patience had reached non-existent. "Then why don't you help me with this!? I do not understand why you and Kaoru won't revive your own clients instead of dragging me over to deal with them."

"We can't."

"Why?"

"Because." Hikaru smirked.

"That's not a good reason."

"I don't have a better one at the moment."

Haruhi bristled as her previous answers were turned on her.

Hikaru decided that he had better follow Kaoru's advice and keep the peace before Kyoya got involved. "The results of our help don't exactly work out." He dropped his arm around Haruhi's shoulder and crossed his ankles. "Do you want to see why it doesn't work?"

"Fine, but I don't see why you can't just tell me."

"You'll understand." Hikaru smirked. "Can I borrow your basket?"

* * *

The next day, the twins were in excellent form and before too much time had passed, they had a group of three girls with various reactions on the floor and in their chairs.

"Haruhi." Kyoya called without glancing up.

"It's okay, Kyoya-senpai." Hikaru reassured. "We've got it."

The dark-haired second-year raised an eyebrow, and decided to observe over the top of the laptop screen. Kaoru looked at his twin with surprise of his own. "Hikaru?"

Hikaru nodded reassuringly to the younger, and snuck a glance at Haruhi to make sure she was watching. "Ishi-senpai, wake up please." Kaoru passed him a small bottle of smelling salts. Soon, the girl was coming around and Haruhi was looking smug.

_That won't last long_, Hikaru thought. "Are you feeling better?" At her nod, he turned to his twin and gave him back the bottle. "Thank you, Kaoru."

"My pleasure, Hikaru."

"KYAAAA!" And Ishi-san was out on the floor again. Haruhi stared.

Hikaru moved on to the next one who was slumped in a chair. Using a cloth, he gently dabbed her face with cool water to help bring her temperature down. "Kameko-san, does that feel better?"

"Yes, thank you," the second-year gasped out.

"I'm glad to hear it." Hikaru passed the cloth back to Kaoru with a smile. Haruhi gaped in disbelief as the girl's nose suddenly started to bleed. Hikaru merely passed her a tissue and went to check on the third girl.

"Is it getting better, Chizu-senpai?"

"Yes, I think it has almost stopped bleeding." The third-year smiled as she removed the wad of tissues that Hikaru had given her.

Hikaru smiled so brightly that his eyes closed. "That's wonderful!"

Chizu hit the floor about three seconds later, and the twins didn't have enough time to barely get her out of the way before her cup and saucer and the teapot shattered on the floor. Hikaru flung one side of his school jacket over her face, creating a barrier between the warm tea and shards of Genori china that went flying.

"Haruhi." Kyoya's voice pulled the cross-dresser out of her astonishment. There was no expression on his face. "Do not pull a stunt like that ever again."

"Right." Haruhi scurried off to fetch a broom and a fresh jacket for Hikaru. _He didn't even look at Kaoru that last time…_ "Wait a minute! What stunt!?"

* * *

* * *

**Author's Note**

Alright! I've been looking for the opportunity to break a tea service! I originally thought that this would happen with Mori, but circumstances as they were written did not allow Kyoya to reasonably write up the cost to Haruhi's debt. This sequence of events is much more… amiable to Kyoya's manipulation.


	5. Pets and Biology

It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to Mori-senpai. She just wasn't sure that she would get an answer. At least that was the reason she gave for asking Honey-senpai when Mori had gone to greet and escort the team's next guests, leaving Honey by himself.

"So you're asking me what Takashi likes to talk about?" Honey was taking her question seriously at least.

Hearing the approach of the guests, Haruhi quickly explained, "I was just curious since he usually doesn't talk very much."

"I see." Honey smiled brightly, and then turned to the new arrivals. "Good afternoon, ladies!"

"Good afternoon, Honey-senpai," the first of the three girls spoke. Amami was a regular of the third-years. She took the place across from Mori's empty seat in a dignified manner.

"Hi, Honey-senpai!" The second bounced into her seat by Honey. The way she did it (and indeed any of Sachiyo's actions since Haruhi had met her) always seemed to be eerily reminiscent of Honey. She often wondered if the girl was naturally like this, or if it was acquired behavior since the opening of the host club.

Haruhi carefully cleared a space on the table to set a fresh pot of tea down. "Hello, ladies. How are you today?"

"Very well, thank you, Haruhi." Amami smiled. If it was very busy for Honey and Mori in the club, she would sometimes designate Haruhi. It didn't happen often however. She indicated the final member of the group, who hadn't spoken yet. "This is Seki Yuri from class 2-B. She's never been here before."

"Seki-san, it's great to meet you!" Honey grinned.

She smiled quietly. "It's nice to meet you too."

Haruhi finished arranging the teacups and prepared to leave. Seeing this, Honey quickly turned to his left. "Takashi!" When the taller boy looked at him and Haruhi paused, he continued, "Tell Haru-chan about the new pet you got!"

Haruhi was interested and slightly wary, wondering what animal would have joined the rumored menagerie on the Morinozuka estate. Mori turned his gaze to her. "A fennec fox."

Sachiyo's response was immediate. "Oh, those are so cute!"

"Did you get it from a breeder?"

"How big is it?" There were coos of adoration as Mori spread his hands out to illustrate the size of the new animal.

"Does it have a name?" This was from Yuri.

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

Honey interrupted the guests' questions with a laugh. "Takashi found it in the woods!"

"The woods?" Haruhi frowned. "Aren't those supposed to be desert animals?"

Honey nudged his cousin to answer. "Yes, but the woods of our estate are next to the garden where he was hunting."

"What does he eat?" Amami inquired.

"Things like mice and bugs; he didn't catch any of the song birds, which made Okka-san very happy. He is an omnivore," Mori added quickly upon seeing the girls shudder slightly; Haruhi almost joined them.

"So you found him in your garden?" Haruhi pushed the conversation onto ground more agreeable to the ladies' sensibilities.

"Mm."

"But they aren't native to Japan."

Yuri spoke up. "They are considered an exotic pet. Why would one be loose?"

Mori looked at Honey who had just put a forkful of cake into his mouth before answering. "In the desert, these canids live in dens that they dig in the sand. Adapted as it is, the fennec fox can dig up to 20 feet in one night. I suspect that he dug himself a hole under a fence and escaped from his owner. Because the fennec fox is so small, they can even fit through chain link fencing. The other option is that he was startled or simply ran away. They can run very fast and jump nearly four times their own height." He smiled slightly. "Hayao is a very clever animal; anyone would have had trouble finding and keeping up to him."

"Hayao, is that his name?"

"How did you catch him?"

"Are you keeping him?"

"How do you keep him from running away?"

There was a pause while Mori looked at Honey again. His cousin ignored him, taking a sip of his tea and resuming the demise of the cake on his plate. "Well, Hayao has dug himself a den in a hill by the house, so I'm not really keeping him…"

Squeals interrupted him. "It's because he instinctively recognizes Mori-senpai's affinity to the animal kingdom."

"How touching! Leaving his owner to search for a better one; it's too much!"

Yuri and Haruhi both raised an eyebrow; Mori gave an uncomfortable shift that was recognized only by Honey and Kyoya.

"Isn't there some question over its proper genus?" Yuri put the conversation back on track this time.

Honey shrugged at Mori's look, clearly indicating that he didn't know and forcing Mori to answer Haruhi's questioning look once more. "Yes, there are some people who think that it should have its own classification of _Fennecus_ instead of _Vulpes_, which is what it is now."

"Why?" Haruhi asked.

"There are three things that are unique to the fennec fox from the others: it lacks musk glands, it is a very social animal, and it only has 32 chromosome pairs. All other foxes have musk glands, are solitary creatures outside of mating season, and possess between 35-39 pairs of chromosomes. So there are some biologists that think they should belong to a classification all their own."

"Thank you for telling me about the fennec, Mori-senpai." The tallest member ruffled the cross-dresser's hair and smiled. She then turned back. "It was nice to meet you, Seki-san."

"Please call me Yuri-chan." The girl smiled, but in a moment it dropped. "Are you leaving?"

The natural host gave her a relaxed smile. "I have a couple of ladies that are waiting for me. Enjoy your time!"

***** ***** *****

"I hope you enjoyed yourself today." Kyoya smiled at Mori and Honey's newest customer.

"It was interesting," Yuri commented, scanning the room. Coming back to Kyoya's patient gaze, she asked, "Do Mori-senpai and Haruhi-san ever host together?"

Kyoya's smile slipped a bit at his surprise, but he recovered almost as quickly as a possibility flashed into his brain. "Not usually, but if you would like to have tea with them both, I would be happy to arrange it."

"Well, I can't come very often since I'm in another club, but I would enjoy talking to both of them again."

Kyoya opened his black book with a confident smile. "Let's see what works for you. Now would that be you exclusively or in a group?"

*

**

***Author's Note***

Okay, let's be honest: who has not wondered what subject Mori would dominate conversation in? Everyone I know has at least one subject that they get so excited about that they forget their inhibitions and usual disposition. Animals and biology seemed to be good matches for him, considering the manga. My information about the fennec fox came from Wikipedia.

My laptop isn't doing so hot; I had to take it in to see the technician last week. Good news is that I had everything for this story uploaded, so I don't have to worry about my laptop not being back in time for the next update!


	6. Secretary

"You certainly have been curious these past few weeks." Kyoya tapped calmly on his laptop. Haruhi wasn't sure how to answer; the last thing she wanted was more added to her debt. He looked up with a perfect host's smile. "You've had a question for everyone in the club except me." Haruhi felt chilled. "Can I help you with anything?"

When dealing with the Shadow King, it was always best to come straight to the point. "I have wondered why you don't have a secretary. Not necessarily you, but the club in general," she hastened to add.

"The club secretary is Mori-senpai." Kyoya's expression did not change; Haruhi blinked.

"Mori-senpai is our secretary?"

"Yes."

Confusion reigned in the newest host. "Then why do you do all of that?"

"Can you see me, or any one of the other hosts, taking care of Honey-senpai?" The idea was difficult to process. "Mori-senpai is secretary in name only. If he does have to sign something, I let him know."

"What about the school office?"

"It doesn't matter to them." Conversation closed, Kyoya went back to his typing.

After a moment, Haruhi spoke again. "Kyoya-senpai?"

"Yes?"

"Do we have a treasurer as well?"

"Honey-senpai." There was a long pause; Kyoya checked something in his notebook.

"In name only?" Haruhi asked to clarify.

"That is correct."

"Ah."

"As vice-president, it is important for me to keep track of the club's affairs and keep our budget in the black. It's an ideal arrangement, don't you think?" Kyoya looked up with a smile that hinted at the dark underneath the surface.

"Um, yes." Haruhi edged away, but froze when she heard his next words.

"How else would I know that your curiosity has a total price tag of 450,000 yen?"

She stared at him in horror, not noticing the approach of Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai.

"We're here! Kyo-kun, is Haru-chan alright?" Honey inspected the snow-statued first-year.

"She's fine, Honey-senpai. If you could sign here, Mori-senpai."

"Hn."

* * *

**Author's Note**

I work as a secretary so I find it interesting that Kyoya doesn't have one. Maybe he's not yet important enough to require one, but he also does seem like the type that would prefer to handle things himself for as long as possible. Though he has no problems delegating either…


	7. BONUS

01/xx – FH has been strangely preoccupied lately. Will keep an eye on her in case this results in expense for the club.

03/xx – Exhibits growing signs of restlessness. Have decided to devote the rest of this page to any financial gains or losses that results. See notes for further details.

04/xx – Inquired about florist, has no allergies, directly wasted five minutes of hosting time, unknown amount of time lost due to thought processes. Add 200,000 yen.

08/xx – Display of selective hearing, late to appointment, again unknown time lost to thought processes. Add 150,000 yen.

15/xx – Third supporter of paper napkins, other duties carried out well.

17/xx – Seems to be having a disagreement with HH, cause of worry for clients (and also HK). Add 25,000 yen.

18/xx – Left twins to revive their clients, broke three pieces of Genori china, HH's school jacket needs dry-cleaning. Add 75,000 yen.

24/xx – Inquiry about MT and FH hosting together, booked appt for next week. Add customer to repayment count. Deduct 100,000 yen. *note: will deduct more based on continued demand.

26/xx – Question regarding club positions, told FH total accumulation of debt over past four weeks. Is already late for next clients, add 100,000 yen. *note: will add 300,000 yen if not unfrozen by closing time.

***** ***** *****

The total cost of Haruhi's Curiousity: 550,000 yen

*note: if not unfrozen, total will exceed 800,000 yen

* * *

*

**

***Author's Note***

Just a little glimpse into a certain someone's black notebook! In regards to the dates, the first falls on a Tuesday. I'm sure you can figure it out from there *smile* My original thought was that all of these would happen over the course of two weeks, but they needed a little more room. From Tamaki to Kyoya is about three weeks, though the period described above takes place over a little less than four weeks.

I looked up Genori china and for the pieces that I was thinking of, the cost was about 60,000 yen. So after you've paid for the dry-cleaning with the remaining 15,000 yen, you can either tip your dry-cleaner heavily or assume that the broken china was an even nicer set than the one I was looking at!

Also, anyone who bothers to sit down and figure out the total as things happened, you are going to notice a discrepancy between this and the total Kyoya gave to Haruhi. Being a Kyoya-like person myself, I will only say that sometimes it is better for someone to understand the full consequence of what they are doing before any deductions are made. Quite reasonable, don't you think?


	8. SPECIAL

Spending time with Renge was a pleasant break from being harassed by her fellow hosts, Haruhi decided as she looked at her companion. It had almost become a regular event; every three or four weeks, she would state her plans with the natural host (sometimes even allowing a day or two of notice to Haruhi!) and proceed with them. Fortunately, it usually was not on a hosting day, so no customers would be left unattended and Kyoya could not add too much to her debt. In fact, Haruhi suspected that Kyoya had been given advance notice.

Maintaining her pattern, Renge had burst into the host club (through the door for a change), announced that she was borrowing Haruhi, and ran with her out the door. She had grown to enjoy the natural host's company. Despite complaining that Haruhi was almost too quiet, Renge had also expressed her appreciation for "his" helpfulness especially when it came to cooking.

Renge was humming as she added some more flour to the cookie dough she was mixing. Somehow, the girl always managed to commandeer one of the culinary club's kitchens for her personal use whenever she wanted to bake. Haruhi was not interested enough to find out why, but occasionally she would have bookings consisting solely of members from the culinary club a day or two after one of Renge's baking episodes, or she would hear rumors of advance copies of "Moe Moe Ouran Journal" being enjoyed by the aforementioned members.

"Hey, do you think these are ready?" Renge's voice broke into Haruhi's train of thought.

"It looks about right. I'll put the chocolate; watch the dough carefully because we want it to swirl, not mix."

They were trying out a recipe for a cookie with chocolate and cream cheese in it. Renge had confided to Haruhi about wanting to find a cookie that Kyoya would like, adding a complaint that Mori was just as difficult to cook for as Kyoya. Haruhi thought it was an odd comment to make, but brushed it aside. Kyoya was her crush, Haruhi was her friend… if she was making connections to other members in the club, Haruhi didn't see that any of it was her business. Though the constant referral to Kyoya occasionally got on her nerves; it was like she couldn't get away from the shadow king.

"…and so, I told Kyoya that I would give it some thought because there should be a way to do it within the budget. It's actually one of Tamaki's more sensible ideas." Renge looked at Haruhi with a slight smile.

Sensing that she was supposed to answer, Haruhi said, "Well, I'm sure that you'll find a way." Seeing the large smile break out on the other girl's face, Haruhi wished that she had been paying more attention. Renge was usually fairly calm until she got an idea, and if Haruhi was any judge of the look in her eyes, an idea was about to happen.

"Well, I did think that we could get some help from the Theatre Arts Club. They owe Kyoya and I a favor."

"Oh? What do you think they could do?" Haruhi figured that she had better get a hint on what was going to happen.

"I was thinking of costumes, but perhaps the set would be better. I'll have to ask Kyoya when we have our next meeting."

"How often do you talk to Kyoya?" Haruhi finally burst out. It seemed that she was always hearing, "Kyoya said this, and Kyoya said that," and "I'll have to ask Kyoya about that later."

"Oh, several times a week, nearly every day at school," Renge said breezily. Haruhi stared. "Well, you don't think that the club would the way it is without my input. Kyoya usually calls me if he needs my immediate input on a matter," Renge gently scolded.

"So what set are you going to get from the drama club?" Haruhi was thankful that Renge could be as easily distracted as Tamaki sometimes.

"Something to simulate a beach might be good," Renge mused aloud. "Pirates landing on a beach to bury treasure would surely be exciting."

Haruhi thought of all the trees and wildlife that ended up in the music room whenever they did something tropical. "Isn't more natural if pirates are on their ship?" She wondered aloud.

Renge's eyes brightened even more. "The ship that they used for their production of _H.M.S. Pinafore_ should be ideal!" She frowned suddenly. "Though we will need to create the bow and masts out of something." She tapped her fingers on the countertop.

Haruhi began to scoop out the cookies and place them on baking trays. She was about to prompt Renge to help her when Renge's eyes began to shine. "Of course, that will be perfect! I'll have to tell Kyoya your idea!"

"It's not really my idea…"

"And we could make cookies in different sizes and stamp them with something to look like pieces of eight and doubloons and Aztec gold! If Shiro-kun joins us… oh, it will be a wonderful cosplay!" Renge started hunting through her bag. "I must let Kyoya know!"

Haruhi sweat-dropped, wondering if it was such a good idea that Renge talked to Kyoya so often.

***** ***** *****

It was a hit just as Renge predicted. Tamaki reveled in his role as a pirate captain; Kyoya was his quartermaster. The other five hosts were all shipmates with varying peculiarities: Haruhi was normal (as Tamaki had been hysterical at the twins' suggestion that she have a hook for one hand, and Kyoya stated that it was impractical and a hazard for the ladies), Hikaru and Kaoru wore eye patches (on the opposite of the other), and Honey was managing to be the look-out with his peg leg, perched up on Mori's shoulders. Shiro had been available to play a cabin boy, and Renge had insisted on joining them as a ship's cook.

A large metal framework had been borrowed from the Theatre Arts Club, and sails had been rigged on pillars set down the centre of the structure. A raised deck with a ship's wheel had been constructed at one end and on the opposite side, the framework narrowed to create a bow with a figurehead. Heavy brown fabric was draped over the framework with a set of steps on one side to climb into the boat. Ocean waves splashed in the background, fans provided a gentle breeze, and patio chairs and tables had been set up for the ladies.

Most of the hosts were located on the main deck (the music room floor). Kyoya took up a position by the steps to greet the ladies as they arrived and assist them up and down the couple of stairs that made a gangway over the cloth-covered sides. The twins' fans made their way towards the bow and the fore-mast. The Hitachiins had a hammock that they sat or reclined in together, though there was an extra chair beside it in case one of them wanted a break from the hammock or to add variety to their act. Mori and Honey were the next closest, having a couple of tables between the fore-mast and the main-mast. Shiro was by the mizzen-mast, and was the last host that Tamaki could directly see when he was seated and entertaining at the French style café dining set on the poop deck by the steering wheel. Haruhi was on the main deck directly in front of Tamaki, the façade of a stern cabin providing a backdrop.

The door of the façade was functional, but had a discreet "Hosts only" sign hanging on it. Behind the small kitchen area had been set up for the tea to be prepared and as a place to store refreshments. This had no draping on the back, so it served as a walk out to the hosts' storage room and dressing area.

The ladies had been delighted at the array of sweets. Honey had shared their joy over a large cake made in the shape of a schooner with a variety of individual sized cakes decorated as life boats with various kinds of tropical fruits in them.

The sugar cookies were a hit as well. Haruhi and Renge had been busy for two days preparing them; Renge had found (or ordered) a couple of cookie presses that had resulted in the cookies looking like the pieces of eight and Spanish doubloons that she had wanted. The sight of them arranged on trays had impressed all of the hosts, including Kyoya.

He came up to Haruhi as she was putting more water on for tea. "Haruhi, I understand that you helped Renge to come up with this cosplay, so I'll deduct twice the amount of clients that you host today from your debt."

On second thought, perhaps it was a good thing that Renge often talked to Kyoya.

* * *

**Author's Note**

And that brings this to a close! Hope that everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

Many thanks to i-heart-kaoru for her inspiration!

This is my first time writing Renge, but I think that the tone of the piece compliments her and Haruhi alright. I refuse to do too much of the obvious, as you may have noticed! I enjoyed putting this together; hopefully I will have the pleasure of working together with Renge-chan again. I also loved the chance to bring Shiro into it. Perfect to have the whole "family" together for the celebration of Family Day here in Alberta, Canada!

My sister makes both of the kinds of cookies mentioned. The cookie with cream cheese is delicious! Kind of like having a cheesecake that you can eat with your fingers. For Christmas, she puts a quarter of a candied cherry on top to dress it up even more. Let me know if you are interested in the recipe and I'll be happy to send it to you!

If you know anything about sailing ships, I apologize for any errors made in naming the parts of the ship! I was using Wikipedia again, and some of the name origins of the parts are interesting, so I might have inadvertently mixed some of them up after reading all about them.

I've also read a few MorixRenge pairings that were really well done and thought out. Just a little tribute to that in here as well.


	9. Author's Request

So, regretfully, this is not a new chapter for this story. I would like to request your assistance regarding a new story.

I have been considering a fanfiction for Fruits Basket. However, I do have a concern that it is too much like some of the other stories on FanFiction. I would love for you to read the story, answer my poll, and pass it on to your friends to check out.

The story is at s/9025996/1/Preview-of-New-Fruits-Basket-Story

Even if you are not a Fruba fan, I would love your feedback so that I can gauge how much interest the story is generating and find out how well people are able to follow along.


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